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you should look in the south colonie area. If buying a house it is lower on taxes than the surrounding areas. If renting, there are several homes, townhouses, etc available in this area. Close to everything you need, and is one of the safest areas. School system is one of the best in south colonie.

Guilderland, North Colonie, Niskayuna all have good reputations as far as schools go. I am more familiar w/Nisky/Sch'dy area; grew up in Nisky, currently live in Sch'dy. If you have a job in a certain area that might help narrow it down. The hospitals here in Sch'dy are all being restructured at the moment. St. Clares, Ellis, Bellevue. There are buses, plenty of shopping, here in this area. I enjoy living in Sch'dy, regardless of the bad rap it gets. If you have specific questions about this area, feel free to ask.

How do Greenbush schools compare with Bethlehem for an academic high school student? I really like the housing values better in GB but have heard such great things about Beth. Any insights appreciated!

Notice how all these ppl said places other then Albany!? Stay out of Albany! Rents are ridiculously high, streets are in horrilbe condition. And the best part .. the city government is so concerned with the night life of downtown Albany that the rest of the city suffers. Yes .. even the good sections that are sliding down hill in a hurry!

I really disagree MrBiggz... Yes, it's true that the non-downtown parts of the city mostly have old, retired, foreign couples living in them, but that's an attitude problem more than anything. People want to send their kids to suburban schools. Nevermind that Guilderland and Bethlehem are so boring that both high schools have huge drug problems, their schools are excellent so people move there and bore their kids to death.

Albany High has its problems, but is pretty terrific academically compared to most city high schools. If people could get past this mental block, the non-downtown parts of Albany would not be bleeding population. The Buckingham Lake neighborhood is breathtaking and classic Americana, as is the neighborhood around Albany Acadaemy. I would live there 10000x before I'd live in some subdivision in boring Bethlehem (oh wait, I do live in a boring subdivision in Bethlehem... when does the fall semester start so I can leave?)

MrBiggz, I would prefer to stay in upstate New York after college, but with the poor job market here and high taxes, it probably will not be possible. I am going into the public administration field, so really Albany would be great for me, but I've just overdosed on it here.... much as I think this region is extremely underrated.

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